Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1887-08-26
CHAPTER II.

am disposed to think that never before
did a sincere friendship, ore which was
1ated 20 last unbrokcn for years, rpen 50
quickly as that between Carriston and my
self. As now look back find it hard 10
associate him with any. even brief, period
q time subsequent 10 our meeting during
which he was not my bosom friend. | for
get whether our meeting at the same pic
tureSque spot on the morning which fol-
lowed our Standardization was the result
Of accident or arrangement Anyway, we
spent the day together, and that day was
the precursor Of many passed in each others
society. Morning after morning we sailed
forth TO do our hest 10 transfer the same bits
Of scenery 20 our skctching blocks Even
ing after evening we returned to dine side
10y side, and afterward 10 talk and smoke
together, indoors or out doors "a the tenn
Ierature advised or our wishes inclined.
Great friends we soon became-insepar.
able as long as my short holiday lasted 1t
was. perhap', pleasant for each TO worl, in
company with an amateur like himself We
could ask each the others opinion of the
merits of the work done, and feel happy at
the approval duly given. An artists stand
ard of excellence is too high for a non-pro-
feSsional. When he praises your work he
praises it but as the work Of an outsider
You feel that such commentator damns
it and disheartens YOU.
However, had Carriston cared 10 do so,
he might, / think, have fearlessly submitted
his Productions 10 any conscientious critic
his drawings were immoasurably more arts
TIC AMI powerful than mine. lie had I'M
doubte1ly great talent and ! was much sur
pri,ed 10 find that good Is le was at land
sCape. he'was even better ar the ii gure He
could, with firm, bold hand, draw rapidly
the most marvellous hkenesses So spirited
and true We're some OF the studies he showed
me that could without hattery advise him,
provided he could finish as he began, 10 keep
entirely TO the higher branch of the art. /
have now before me series of outline faces
drawn by him-many OF them from MEM
DRY; ami as look at them the original o;
each comes at once before my eyes
From the very first bad been much in
terested in the young man, and as day by
day went 10y and the Ieculiarities of his
character were revealed 10 me. my interest
grew deeper and deeper. natter myself
that / am a keen observer and skillful ana
lyst Of personal character and until now
fancied that 10 write description Of It's
component parts was an easy matter. Yet
now when / am put 10 the proof find il no
simple task 10 convey in words a proper idea
o. Charles Carriston's mental organization.
| sOCn discovered that he was / may saw.
all ictcd by peculiarly sensitive nature.
Although strong, and apparently in good
health, the very changes of the weather
seemed to affect him almost 20 the same ex-
tent as they affect flower. Sweet as his
disposition always was, the tone of lis mind,
his spirits, his conversation, varied, as il
were. with the atmosphere He was full OF
Imagination, and that Imagination, always
rich, was az times weird, even grotesauely
weird Not for one moment did he
seem to doubt the stability of the wild
theories he started, or the possibility Of the
pcctical dreams he dreamed being realized.
He had his faults, of cohrse; he was hasty
and impulsive; indeed, to me one of the
greatest charms about the boy was that,
right or wrong, each word he spoke came
straight from his heart.
So far as ! could judge, the whole organi-
ration Of his mind was too highly strung,
too finely wrought, for everyday use. A
note Of JOY. Of sorrow, even Of pity, vibrated
through it too strongly for his comfort or
well-bcing As yet it had not been called
upon TO bear the test Of love; AID fortu.
nately-I use the word advisedly-fortu.
nately he was not, according TO the usual
significance Of the word, a rel gious man, or
! should have thought it not unlikely that
some day he would fall a victim TO that re-
ligous mania so well known 10 my profess
sional brethren, and have developed hysteria
or melancholia. He might even have fancied
himself messenger sent from heaven for
the regeneration Of mankind. From natures
like Carristons are prophets made.
In short, / may say that my exhaustive
study Of my new friends character resulted
In certain amount of uneasiness ne 10 his
future-an uneasiness not entirely free from
professional curiosity.
Although the smile cana rssl.,, -sa ia